Two Bosnian players played in the semifinal of a ATP Tournament for the first time in history at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Damir Dzumhur edged past his close friend Mirza Basic 6-0 7-6 (11-9).
Dzumhur dropped the first two points of the match on his serve. He broke in the second game when Basic netted a forehand. Dzumhur went up a double break to race out to a 4-0 lead after an error from Basic. Dzumhur fended off two break points in the 5th game and closed out the match after just 22 minutes, after Basic made another error.
Basic served well in the second set and did not face any break points in the first five service games. Basic saved eight break points on his serve at 5-6 in a 28-point 12th game to force the second set to the tie-break. Dzumhur failed to convert two match points at 6-5 and at 7-6 in the tie-break. He saved two set points and sealed the win by 11-9 with a service winner on 11th match point.
“After a few match points when you don’t use it, don’t finish, you get a little tight, you get a little bit nervous. I am sure if we went to a third set, he would have the advantage. He would have confidence. I would be down because I didn’t use so many many match points and so I knew that I had to finish in two sets. Luckily for me I finished it and I am in the final.
Dzumhur will take on Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, who came back from one set down to upset Adrian Mannarino 3-6 6-4 6-1. Berankis fended off three of the four break points he faced in the final two sets. The Lithuanian player avenged his recent straight- set defeat against Mannarino at this year’s US Open.
Mannarino got two breaks to win the first set 6-3. The French player went up a break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Berankis broke straight back in the next game. Mannarino dropped his serve at 4-4 to lose the second set. Berankis broke three times in the first, fifth and seventh games to cruise through to her 6-1 win.
Dzumhur and Berankis will meet in tomorrow’s final in Moscow and will renew their rivalry next week in the first round at the ATP 500 in Vienna.
